NEW BERN — Devin Antonio Manuel, accused as a gang member leading three others in a home burglary, has been given a 10-year federal prison sentence.
Manuel, a known member of the Bloods street gang according to a federal news release, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case for the office of Robert J. Higdon Jr., the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The Bladen County Sheriff’s Office handled the investigation.
Prosecution of the case involved the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, and the Take Back North Carolina Initiative directed by Higdon’s office. The goal of the programs, respectively, is to target violent criminals and reduce violent crime, and to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking and crimes against law enforcement.
The case involved a juvenile boy and codefendants Jaden Davis and Charles Smith. Davis was sentenced to one year, one month in prison on Oct. 8, 2019, and Smith was sentenced to one year, nine months in prison on Aug. 27, 2019.
Lawmen say the four burglarized a home in Bladenboro on April 5, 2018, stealing a television, cellular phones, gaming consoles, and a safe that contained five firearms. They damaged a porch before leaving, and later burned items items including family heirlooms.
A shop worker in Elizabethtown who knew the victims recognized engraved names when Manuel attempted to pawn items. After capture by lawmen, the juvenile identified his accomplices. Lawmen also confirmed evidence from GPS data on a car, paint damage between the car and porch, and fingerprints.